Everyone experiences headaches from time to time. However, seemingly ordinary headaches can be a sign that something is wrong, especially if they are chronic. In many cases, chronic head pain is symptomatic of a sleep-breathing disorder or TMJ injury.
Cleveland TMJ & Sleep
Frequently Asked
Frequently Asked
Questions
Answers to the questions patients most often ask our doctors about TMJ, sleep, and our appliance therapy.
Commonly Asked Questions People Have for Our Doctors
Below are answers to some of the questions we hear most often. If you do not see your question here, reach out and our team will be glad to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
TMJ and sleep apnea are two separate conditions, but in many cases patients experience them at the same time, and having one makes it more likely the other will develop. Since the appliances we use can treat both, offering treatment for TMJ and sleep disorders just makes sense.
The appliances we use are customized to the anatomy of the patient, and we only use appliances that rely on the only peer-reviewed bite technique for healing. These appliances are used in the short term to decompress the joint and help rehabilitate it.
The goal is to heal the jaw joints, and for that, stability is needed. We use our jaws differently during the day and at night, so two separate appliances are needed.
Eating is what the jaw joints are designed for, but when the joints are injured, just having a meal can cause significant pain. Wearing an appliance when eating helps support the joints to eliminate irritation and avoid making the condition worse.
We are happy to offer an appliance for snoring, as long as it is determined that snoring is the only issue. In many cases, snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, a potentially fatal condition. A sleep study is needed to determine if the snoring is the condition itself or if there is something more to it.
Mild to moderate sleep apnea can be addressed with oral appliances. If someone has severe sleep apnea, it is possible that a CPAP or surgery will be required.
If your child only snores on occasion, do not panic. However, if it is chronic, a sleep study should be conducted. Seventy percent of children who snore on a regular basis have sleep apnea.
For some patients, surgery is the only option, but this is rare. In the majority of cases, conditions can be addressed through appliances, lifestyle changes, and physical therapy.
Many sleep and behavior conditions have their roots in sleep-related breathing disorders. When this is the case, the night terrors and behavior concerns are just symptoms of the underlying condition, and once that condition is treated, they can be eliminated.
Cleveland TMJ & Sleep Care
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Conditions We Treat
Non Surgical Solutions
Our treatments focus on craniofacial pain and sleep-related breathing disorders.
